Newly Drafted Hockey Player is Also Person With Diabetes

Earlier today, the Stanley Cup-winning Chicago Blackhawks made Swedish forward- and type 1 diabetic- John Dahlstrom the last pick of the 2015 National Hockey League Entry Draft.

Dahlstrom, a decorated Swedish hockey player who has won championships at both the under-18 and under-20 levels in Sweden's tiered hockey leagues, only turned 18 recently. He was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when he was 12. And at first he was worried that he would not be able to continue to play the sport that he loved.

But then the talented forward found a way to turn a negative into something of a positive.

"You could say being diagnosed affected me positively," he told hockeysverige.se a few months ago. "It forced me to put more focus on what I eat, which is important. From there it's been all about routines. I know how much I should eat and when, and I always know the amount of insulin that suits me.

"Diabetes," he says, "is a part of me."

Although selected with the last pick in the draft (pick #211), it is still quite an accomplishment to be drafted at all. NHL scouting services evaluate almost 2,000 draft-age eligible players every year.

Dahlstrom is of course not alone as a hockey player with diabetes. In the 1970s, future Hall of Famer and diabetic Bobby Clarke led the Philadelphia Flyers to back-to-back Stanley Cup championships. Other hockey players with diabetes include professional prospects Taylor Vause and Max Domi, among others.